While perusing downtown, one can get a drink, a bite to eat or hear a local band. However, community members believe downtown could have more to offer.

More than 30 community members attended the third of eight Downtown Advisory Committee meetings, specializing in business development, Wednesday at the Dunn-Richard Economic Development Center.

Three committee members, Jason Siegler, George Sheffer and Meghan Cole, spoke on the current status of downtown businesses before taking public opinion.

Siegler said roughly 250 businesses are associated with downtown, primarily consisting of locally-owned retail, entertainment and dining establishments.

“Everybody in this room, your friends, your neighbors, your family, are all business owners in the downtown,” he said. “Currently our downtown does not consist of many, if at all, chain stores. They are all locally-owned businesses run by people in this community.”

Siegler said the committee agreed upon five main transportation initiatives from the last meeting. The initiatives include business route and University 51, a multi-modal transportation center, a bicycle friendly community, pedestrian friendly streets and a downtown parking garage.

Sheffer said there are several incentives for new businesses to start in the downtown area, including tax breaks, waived fees and the university community among others.

He said there are also several disadvantages to expanding businesses in the downtown area, such as parking meters, water retention, code restrictions and the limit on liquor licenses.

“We need to look not to dictate the businesses as much but to help them in becoming successful,” Sheffer said.

Cole addressed the attractiveness of the downtown area in terms of design and how it can influence both big and small businesses.

“I’m not saying we want to reel in a big fish like IBM, but maybe we do,” she said. “Or maybe we want to land the next Mary Lou’s. We need an attractive community to do so.”

Danielle Zelisko, 26, of Carbondale, said she supports not only the beautification of spaces, but also the development of businesses for artists as well.

“People want to be around pretty things, but people want to be around pretty people too, people that inspire them,” she said.

Cody Roach, an SIU alumnus, said he stayed in Carbondale after he graduated because of its small-town atmosphere. He said he would like the addition of a space downtown for outdoor festivities.

“What I would love to see is some space in the downtown area, that’s easy and a nice place to hold a festival or something people can stumble upon that’s fun and great,” he said.

Several other community members spoke about other business ideas such as food trucks, reusable energy and façade rehabilitation. The community members expressed concerns including parking availability, crowd control and panhandlers.

The next meeting, concerning campus and hospital interfaces, will be at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 1 at Morris Library.

Marissa Novel can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter @marissanovelDE or at 536-3311 ext. 268.